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Sounds sensible, fwiw. Also, in these days of engineering, it can take so long to get a ship just the way we like it, I find it easier to develop and maintain a long term relationship. I'm still loving the Beluga, it is almost all A rated (51m cr for the larger modules is a stretch, but we're getting there) and semi-engineered, and the process has me almost completed Ranger and Tycoon, but it will still take me a while to 'finish'. But more importantly - the process and time we have had to spend together has me in love with the ship, so she will now definitely be my ride to Colonia. So there's a lot to be said for sticking with one ship and getting to know its quirks. I was interdicted in the mouth of the Maia Black Hole last night, and I think it was only familiarity with how she'd behave that saved my 8.5m rebuy. That and a refreshingly effective and committed fighter pilot.

I think that the way engineers let you personalize your ship is actually the best thing about engineering overall. It makes the ship really "yours".
It makes me miss the 80s and 90s when car modding was a thing. It's not, anymore, and it makes me sad.

I think that the way engineers let you personalize your ship is actually the best thing about engineering overall. It makes the ship really "yours".
It makes me miss the 80s and 90s when car modding was a thing. It's not, anymore, and it makes me sad.

After doing some more credit massing via missions (which I enjoy as they are quick and I never know how long I'll be playing ), I decided to take a look at my Courier again and see how fast I could get her to go. I may be able to squeeze a little bit more, but here's what I have so far:

After doing some more credit massing via missions (which I enjoy as they are quick and I never know how long I'll be playing ), I decided to take a look at my Courier again and see how fast I could get her to go. I may be able to squeeze a little bit more, but here's what I have so far:

I think that the way engineers let you personalize your ship is actually the best thing about engineering overall. It makes the ship really "yours".
It makes me miss the 80s and 90s when car modding was a thing. It's not, anymore, and it makes me sad.

Absolutely agree with this, sensitive engineering with a specific purpose is a real joy of the game for me, these days.

Agree on the 80s 90s nostalgia - probably why I drive classics when possible. Of our three cars, one is 2017 (four kids, rural roads, have to make some concessions to practicality for winter school runs) but my other two are from 1955 and 1966, a saloon and a two seater. Between those latter two I do most of my driving, depending on how many kids are in tow and what the errand is. With those two I can tinker to my heart's content and channel that hands-on nostalgia. Taking me back even further, I'm and ex-HMC&E officer, and I had many colleagues who were on surveillance in the 1970s. On first getting the job, they'd be given a radio and told to take it home and wire it into their own car, which would then become their surveillance vehicle. Quality of installation varied wildly as did, therefore, the chances of the vehicle showing out when on target on a job. Anyway, apologies for (yet) another digression. I agree with you - engineering enabling personalisation of a ship is an aspect of the game I really love and am getting a lot from.

After doing some more credit massing via missions (which I enjoy as they are quick and I never know how long I'll be playing ), I decided to take a look at my Courier again and see how fast I could get her to go. I may be able to squeeze a little bit more, but here's what I have so far:

Really enjoying my time in Colonia. It does feel slightly different out here.

I’m waiting for my Dolphin to arrive to do proper exploring (tourist beacons and what not). In the meantime I’ve been unlocking the engineers and running various missions. Done some courier stuff, passengers and trading. The biggest difference for me is the trading. Yes it is the same, collect goods, deliver goods but the difference is in the hostile ships. Back in the bubble it’s all Anacondas. Out here I’ve faced everything from DBX’s to Kraits to Dropships.

For someone like me (crap at combat) this is a pleasant change and has even seen an increase in my combat rank (not title but %) something that was stagnant back in the bubble.

The other thing is module availability, well, the lack of it. I just got too used to sitting in Jameson with everything I could possibly want. Out here it’s more of a challenge.

I’m looking for material traders also.

Best thing ever was landing in an asteroid. I’ve never felt so Moonraker.

Well it has to be said that the last 50 jumps I did (at 35ly a jump) I just scooped, honked and moved on. Must have gone through a dozen systems that had over 30 bodies in them but I’d just been through 1000 others and couldn’t wait to just get back on the ground.

There are options though, expensive and timely options. For example, I saw someone saying that you can get out here in the right craft in around 2 hours. You wont arrive with much exploration data and the ship you arrive in isn’t going to be suitable for everything but you can ship them out. Saying that, I still have 20+ hours to wait for my Dolphin and that cost me 27m to get shipped. Have no idea what my Ford Python Transit would have cost to be shipped.

I think it is far easier now, not so risky. I did come out here with an AFMU but I never used it once.

Re-thinking my last post, the ‘newness’ I feel is it almost like starting the game again, with all the knowledge I have and a head start in the credit/ship part. There is a small challenge to be had out here. I highly recommend it.

Doing 1000+ jumps with a destination is slightly maddening because you have a target, it begins to feel like a race. Like you did though, I think I’m going to just disappear into the black for a long time. Just float.

Doing 1000+ jumps with a destination is slightly maddening because you have a target, it begins to feel like a race. Like you did though, I think I’m going to just disappear into the black for a long time. Just float.

Yeah, I'd certainly agree about the destination effect! I did have an ultimate destination in mind for my first "leg", but I didn't need to get there in a hurry, so I just ambled along, picking out some systems of interest to visit along the way. After that, I just went where the mood took me, using EDDiscovery's rather marvellous 3D map with galactic POIs to inform my route.

At one point, I "found" an NGC cluster that was some way out towards the rim and way below the galactic plane. It took some careful jumponium plots to get into it, but it was well worth it for the immense views and the feeling of utter isolation in amongst the cluster. Also, I did a comprehensive survey of it, so every object is discovered now (And this was when you actually had to fly to the objects to scan them, so it took a while )

I really like visiting real stars and clusters, it brings the whole thing alive a bit more.

And having written all of that, I'm getting itchy to get my FSD booster fitted to Hecla and go back out there again, into the wild....

The BGS is rather intriguing, and not enormously difficult to get the basics of in the end. I'm pursuing the idea of restoring a minor faction to control of an Empire backwater location that I am currently in, and it's quite entertaining to take missions and perform actions that increase their influence and watch the changes

Yeah, I'd certainly agree about the destination effect! I did have an ultimate destination in mind for my first "leg", but I didn't need to get there in a hurry, so I just ambled along, picking out some systems of interest to visit along the way. After that, I just went where the mood took me, using EDDiscovery's rather marvellous 3D map with galactic POIs to inform my route.

At one point, I "found" an NGC cluster that was some way out towards the rim and way below the galactic plane. It took some careful jumponium plots to get into it, but it was well worth it for the immense views and the feeling of utter isolation in amongst the cluster. Also, I did a comprehensive survey of it, so every object is discovered now (And this was when you actually had to fly to the objects to scan them, so it took a while )

I really like visiting real stars and clusters, it brings the whole thing alive a bit more.

And having written all of that, I'm getting itchy to get my FSD booster fitted to Hecla and go back out there again, into the wild....

The BGS is rather intriguing, and not enormously difficult to get the basics of in the end. I'm pursuing the idea of restoring a minor faction to control of an Empire backwater location that I am currently in, and it's quite entertaining to take missions and perform actions that increase their influence and watch the changes

And again, like you, BGS is something I may explore after I’ve done a lot more, er, exploring.

2 things I love about this game. The solitude. It is to me what space and space travel would be all about. The other thing is, having done one thing for some time, trading, exploring, whatever, there is something else to move onto, BGS, Codex, engineering.

And again, like you, BGS is something I may explore after I’ve done a lot more, er, exploring.

2 things I love about this game. The solitude. It is to me what space and space travel would be all about. The other thing is, having done one thing for some time, trading, exploring, whatever, there is something else to move onto, BGS, Codex, engineering.

Then if you haven't been out into the black yet, you will find it compelling. There is something infinitely peaceful about being many thousands of light years from the bubble, with the panoply of creation all around, it's celestial mechanics performing just as expected whether or not there is anyone there.

I would always land somewhere at the end of a session, so that I knew my ship was going to be exactly where I left it. I'd always try and find somewhere scenic, and those last moments when touchdown was completed, the engines ran down to a gentle stop, and I was left staring at strange suns over a new world in silence were deeply peaceful. Occasioanlly, Elite would time things really well and start playing the gentle piano-based exploration music after landing, which just added to the atmosphere

Just remember to take an AFMU and a mining laser with you at the least

I've been playing for 18 months now, and there is still so much left that I want to do. It isn't going to get old easily.